Strategies/Status - Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS)

Raise the Bar

Strategies to Make the Vision a Reality

Internationally-benchmarked standards
Assessments aligned to standards
Resources and tools to support teachers in implementing standards
Worked-based learning opportunities have been common for decades

Internationally-benchmarked standards

Performance indicators break down standards into concrete examples of the knowledge and skills students must demonstrate to show mastery of the standards. Performance indicators guide the development of curriculum and learning activities.

Assessments aligned to standards

In order to measure mastery of the content and skills, educators use a variety of assessments aligned with standards and performance indicators.

Resources and tools to support teachers in implementing standards

Worked-based learning opportunities have been common for decades

Proficiency and competencies must be defined for these school venues and adopted as legitimate parts of the school curriculum.

Current Status

In Connecticut, Core Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts were implemented in 2013. Since 2010, across the state high school graduate rates have improved 5.2%, to 87%.⁸ In 2015, graduation rates increased for nearly every group, and Connecticut leads the nation in closing achievement gaps around high school graduation.⁹ (The one exception involved English Language Learners, whose graduation rate slipped .8%) In addition, in 2013, Connecticut’s 12th graders achieved the highest scores in English Language Arts on the National Assessment of Education Progress.¹⁰

FOOTNOTES

⁸ http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20150319/connecticuts-graduation-rate-continues-to-rise

⁹ http://ctmirror.org/2015/05/14/connecticuts-graduation-gap-is-big-but-shrinking/

¹⁰ http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2014/05/no_change_in_12th_grade_perfor.html

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RAISE THE BAR | ACTION STEPS